LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit
London
Cities worldwide gather in London for first Cities & Lighting Summit
The first LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit brought together in London close to 200 delegates from 23 countries, representing 40 cities and 65 other organisations, companies and institutions. This gathering proved to be a pivotal event for the global urban lighting community.
With over 50 speakers, the 2025 sold-out summit – hosted in collaboration with the City of London Corporation – provided a vital platform for city representatives, lighting professionals, researchers, and other stakeholders to connect, share experiences, discuss future challenges and explore innovative approaches to lighting urban spaces in a way that benefits both people and the planet.
Setting the stage: the London context
The summit officially opened with welcoming remarks from Fatiha el Moudni, Mayor of Rabat and LUCI President, Shravan Joshi, Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee for the City of London Corporation, and Katie Steward, Executive Director for Environment. They emphasized the importance of the LUCI Summit’s commitment to foster collaboration and to drive innovation in urban lighting, aligning with its core themes: Sustainability, Inclusion, and Health & Wellbeing.
Following the opening, the focus was set on the host city with a dedicated session on “Urban Lighting in the City of London”. Ian Hughes, City Operations Director, Mark Major and Benz Roos from Speirs Major Light Architecture dived deep into the City of London’s Lighting Strategy. They outlined its context, process, and key drivers: aiming for a creative, holistic, cohesive, forward-looking, and smart approach to balance light and darkness. The objective is to meet both functional and aesthetic needs – while addressing challenges of obtrusive light impacting residents and biodiversity.
The session then featured Sarah Gaventa, Trustee and former Director of the Illuminated River Foundation (IRF), who showcased the Illuminated River project. Later that day, delegates got the exceptional opportunity to embark on a boat tour, supported by the IRF and Signify, to explore this ambitious public light art project. The 9 illuminated central bridges enhance London’s beauty and identity, providing a tangible example of how cities can elegantly transform their nightscapes combining artistic, innovative and sustainable intentions.
Parallel Session #1: how to support health, wellbeing and inclusion
As one of the Summit new features, the parallel sessions offered the opportunity to delve deeper into the summit’s core themes. The first of three sessions explored how to support health, wellbeing and inclusion.
- ENLIGHTENme and the social dimentions of light
One parallel session featured Don Slater from the London School of Economics and Political Science, presenting insights from the European project ENLIGHTENme. The research explored the link between light and the wellbeing of older adults in economically disadvantaged areas, using citizen participation and co-design practices across Amsterdam, Bologna, and Tartu. The project is about understanding and considering for the diverse ways people use public spaces, or as Don said “knowing what you don’t know.
At the summit, the project’s findings were shared through the launch of Urban Lighting for Health and Wellbeing: New Guidelines, which place health and wellbeing at the heart of lighting, planning, and design decisions. The Health and Urban Lighting Advisory Board (HULAB) coordinated by LUCI, played a vital role in shaping these practical, city-ready guidelines.
To conclude the session, Professor Simona Tondelli (University of Bologna, coordinator of the ENLIGHTENme project) and Clarisse Tavin (City of London, HULAB chair) took part in a panel discussion to reflect on the key challenges cities face in turning research into practical policy and action.
- Assume nothing: lighting for accessible places
The groundbreaking interactive workshop “Assume nothing: lighting and the way to accessible places” challenged delegates to consider how lighting can both include and exclude various individuals. Led by Harriet Bell and Morgan Wild from the City of London Corporation, Farhad Rahim and Jean Hewitt from Buro Happold, the session encouraged attendees to explore the role of lived experience and question preconceptions about who urban lighting is designed for. The session explored how lighting design must account for the needs of people with reduced mobility, vision and hearing impairment, neurodiversity as well as different age groups. Key considerations included reducing glare, accounting for varying levels of street activity and darkness, and being mindful of intersectionality — that is, how diverse social identities and needs shape people’s experiences of urban lighting.
- Mind the Gap!
A crucial aspect of urban development is the collaboration between public authorities and private stakeholders, which was the focus of the “Mind the Gap!” parallel session. The session featured Benz Roos, from Speirs Major Light Architecture, Rob McNicol from the City of London Corporation, Charles Begley from the London Property Alliance, and Sarah Banham from Battersea Power Station Development Company.
Discussions centred on how design guidelines, policies, and best practices can be used to curate and liven up the nightscape while minimising light pollution in both publicly and privately owned public spaces.
The City of London’s Lighting Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), adopted in October 2023, was highlighted as a tool to ensure good lighting in privately owned public spaces, prioritising safety, attractiveness, and the celebration of the city’s diversity.
Lighting for all: building safer, more inclusive spaces
The Summit’s second day culminated in a landmark plenary session featuring Elizabeth Johnston from the European Forum for Urban Security (Efus), Daniel Blyth from Publica, Russell Pengelly from the City of London Police, and Councillor Imran Alam from Glasgow City Council. Moderated by Elettra Bordonaro from Light follows Behaviour, the panel discussion addressed the critical question of how lighting can contribute to making public spaces safer and more inclusive, especially for vulnerable groups, well-illustrated by Publica’s research. Efus’ work underlines that there are social determinants of crime which is not solely a lighting problem, and together with Russell Pengelly, they agreed that “brighter is safer” is a misleading assumption. Glasgow City Council’s feminist approach to city planning, including park lighting reviews with community engagement and night walks, provided a good example of embedding inclusion in lighting projects.
LUCI members can access the presentations materials on the LUCI Hub.
New partnerships forged
The 2025 Summit was marked by the signing of several significant partnerships, underlining LUCI’s dedication to building bridges both within and outside the urban lighting community.
- LUCI and Efus – the European network of cities focusing on urban security, signed an agreement, reinforcing their cooperation as city networks and shared commitment to improving urban security through innovative lighting solutions.
- LUCI and Women in Lighting, formalised a partnership aimed at amplifying the feminine perspective within the lighting field. This collaboration will support initiatives that drive greater gender inclusivity.
- LUCI and the Institution of Lighting Professionals (ILP), established a partnership to foster stronger links between lighting professionals and cities worldwide, promoting knowledge sharing, standards development, and professional growth.
These collaborations reflect a collective commitment to advancing key priorities that are essential to the future of sustainable urban lighting.
Sustainability and innovation take centre stage
The final day of the Summit kicked off with the LUCI Talks, focusing on how lighting can pave the way to next level sustainable cities. Andreina Seijas from Night Tank explored the intersection of nighttime urbanism, public lighting strategies, and climate adaptation, advocating with example from Paris and Barcelona, for people-centred approaches that embrace the night as a key dimension of sustainable urban life.
Lars Ocklund and Christina Vildinge from the City of Gothenburg presented their trailblazing project using the city’s digital twin for informed decision making and sustainable urban planning and design, and a future tool for collaboration. This initiative ties directly into the UN Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to increase awareness about the role of lighting in reducing inequalities, enhancing biodiversity, and promoting sustainable urban development.
Sara Castagné and Maelle Tertrais from Concepto shared their experience designing the lighting for the Paris Olympic Village in Saint-Denis, focusing on circular economy principles and environmentally friendly “dark infrastructure” – harnessing creativity for subtle and efficient lighting. This project marked one of the first large-scale urban lighting initiatives to demonstrate the strong potential of reuse, setting a precedent for future sustainable design.
Open Conference Sessions:
a showcase of global initiatives
Day 3 of the Summit featured the dynamic Open Conference Sessions, divided into three simultaneous tracks, providing a platform for 9 LUCI members to present their ongoing urban lighting projects and initiatives in concise 15-minute presentations.
Topics ranged from sustainability and feasibility in urban lighting strategies to creative and temporary lighting solutions. Many thanks to Zoltan Pap (Budapest), Emily Bolt (Signify), Leevi Lehtinen (Oulu), Šarūnas Noskaitis (Vilnius), Titia Ex (City of Amsterdam), Natalia Shevtsova (LUCI), Jean-Yves Soetinck (ACE), Marjut Kauppinen (Helsinki), Lucas Goy (Les éclaireurs/Barbican Centre) for their participation.
LUCI members can access the presentations materials on the LUCI Hub.
Parallel Sessions #2: addressing contemporary challenges
The afternoon parallel sessions on Day 3 continued to explore key challenges and opportunities.
- Where tech and community meet – a Transatlantic dialogue
In the afternoon parallel sessions, a vibrant and impactful Transatlantic dialogue brought together representatives from United States and European cities to share common challenges and best practices. Moderated by LUCI’s US ambassador Leni Schwendinger, the session included Dan Caroselli from the City of Los Angeles, George Burciaga from the U.S. Mayors Roundtable, John Roberson from the City of Chicago, Zoltán Pap from the City of Budapest, Paco Bunnik from the City of Amsterdam, and Heike Besier from the City of Leipzig. Discussions spanned technological innovations, community engagement, and balancing functional and aesthetic criteria in urban lighting.
- London Calling: supporting a thriving nightlife
A second parallel session explored the impact of lighting on the attractiveness of places after dark, fostering community, creating a sense of belonging, and supporting the night-time economy sustainably. In this panel, moderated by LUCI General Director, Mark Burton-Page, Julieta Cuneo from the 24h team of the Greater London Authority, Johan Hugues from Blachère Illumination, and Guillaume Aniorté from Quartier des spectacles International, discussed how urban lighting can reveal who the city is for, act as a brand, a pathway, and a playground to improve overall quality of life.
- Smart cities, AI regulations, opportunities & risks
The final parallel session, moderated by Jasmine van der Pol from LUCI, explored the evolving role of AI and digital technologies in urban lighting. Olli Markkanen from the City of Helsinki and Filip Broekaert from Fluvius shared practical insights on how these tools are transforming the planning, management, and maintenance of public lighting systems. Both emphasized the importance of data governance, benchmarking, and knowledge exchange. Markkanen discussed Helsinki’s use of AI to process citizen feedback and optimize traffic flow, underscoring the need for high-quality data and caution around third-party tool dependence. Broekaert highlighted how Fluvius is applying AI in large-scale LED conversions and infrastructure management to improve operational efficiency.
Lighting the future: Mayors from around the world share leadership insights
The summit culminated in a closing plenary session, “Lighting the future, cities at the crossroads of inclusion, sustainability and resilience”. Elected officials from 3 continents, including the Mayor of Rabat – and President of LUCI – Fatiha El Moudni, the Mayor of Oulu Ari Alatossava, Alderman Alison Gowman from the City of London Corporation, the Vice-President of Montpellier Mediterranean Metropolis Bruno Paternot, and the Mayor of Durham, North Carolina, Leonardo Williams, shared their insights on the future of urban lighting.
While the Mayor of Rabat underlined the power of the network, and the Mayor of Durham emphasized that urban lighting should be ‘both amenity and utility’, session moderator Patricia Brown highlighted how important it is to have leaders who set the tone and provide a framework to help achieve the intentionality of light.
LUCI members can access the presentations materials on the LUCI Hub.
Experiencing the City at night
Throughout the Summit, delegates had the opportunity to take part in a rich programme of thematic walking tours, offering immersive ways to experience London after dark.
From a ground breaking “body mapping” workshop and an inclusive accessibility walk, to explorations of the City’s lighting strategy and control management system — these experiences brought the Summit’s themes of inclusion, sustainability, and wellbeing vividly to life across the urban landscape.
Key Takeaways
The LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit London 2025 underscored the critical role of urban lighting in shaping sustainable, inclusive, and healthier cities. Key takeaways include:
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Sustainability beyond energy efficiency: Cities are increasingly prioritising not only energy efficiency, but also reducing light pollution, and considering the impact of artificial light on biodiversity in their lighting strategies. Once the first energy efficiency gains have been made, new approaches (reuse and recycle) need to be developed to go further towards net zero goals.
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Inclusion requires a holistic approach: Designing for accessibility and considering the diverse needs of all citizens, including vulnerable and disabled groups, is essential. It needs a holistic approach to public spaces.
- Building safer cities needs the community: Community engagement and incorporating lived experiences are crucial for creating places that feel safe and welcoming at night.
- Urban lighting needs to be grounded in qualitative research: integrating human science based methods in urban lighting increases the evidence-base and enables to better understand the impact of light on the various dimensions of urban life at night, which is essential to promote well-being.
- Cooperation is crucial: Effective urban lighting requires to break across silos and a better collaboration between public authorities, private stakeholders, lighting professionals, researchers, and communities.
- AI offers new avenues to explore with care: AI, and other innovative digital tools are transforming the way cities manage and design their lighting infrastructure, making it more responsive and sustainable, but caution is needed for cities to remain in the driver’s seat.
- Wake-up call: Darkness has value. Recognizing the cultural and ecological significance of darkness, as a counterpoint to light, is becoming an increasingly important wakeup call in urban lighting policy making.
Exciting events on the horizon!
Looking ahead, LUCI will continue to stay true to its moto “connecting cities with light” through our upcoming events.
Exciting opportunities to meet during the next gatherings include the Africa Urban Lighting Workshop in Rabat (September 2025), the LUCI Lab Bruges (November 2025), the Creative Lighting Forum in Lyon (December 2025).
Save the date: the next LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit will be in Oulu on February 25-27, 2026, in the context of the European Capital of Culture! We look forward to meeting all the LUCI network and urban lighting professionals there.
Thank you!
The resounding success of the LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit London 2025 was only made possible by the enthusiastic participation of delegates, the valuable contributions of the speakers, and the generous support of sponsors Blachere Illumination, Signify, Eclatec, Flashnet, Technilum, FM Conway and DW Windsor as well as Summit partners, the Illuminated River Foundation, the ILP, the International Day of Light, the NLA, the US Mayors Roundtable, Visit Britain and Women in Lighting.
A very special mention is due to the wonderful team behind our co-organisers at the City of London Corporation.
LUCI extends its sincere thanks to everyone involved. See you next year!
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Photo credits
©LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit London 2025, BAR Productions